WEST Mercia’s police and crime commissioner John Campion has opened his first community grant scheme, with a combined pot of £240,000 aimed at keeping young people safe and away from crime.
John’s first grant round aims to divert young at-risk people aged between 13 and 16 away from crime by involving them in preventative activities.
The crime commissioner has reviewed services available since his election and feels more work is needed in this area.
The second pot of money is aimed at stopping young people from dying on the roads by making them safer drivers.
Between 2010 and 2015, about 30-35 per cent of all road collisions in the West Mercia area involved a 16-24-year-old.
It is hoped this figure will lower if more young people are aware of the dangers involved in driving.
Organisations bidding for funding will be expected to demonstrate their proposals will achieve the aims of both schemes, provide ongoing support and deliver best value for public money.
John said: “By investing a comparatively small amount of money now and working with the community to provide the right positive engagement projects, we can prevent minor issues becoming bigger issues down the line.
“For both schemes, we have the opportunity to change the path for the young people in our communities – be it ensuring they have the right information to be able to make informed decisions when using the roads, or preventing them from getting into a cycle of offending.
“I am looking forward to seeing applications for proven, successful, innovative projects coming forward in the grant window.
“These grants will not be handouts though.
“I want to reassure our communities that there are structures in place to ensure this money will be allocated and used responsibly and I expect to see clear results for any investment.”
The deadline for applications for diversionary activities is Friday, March 3 at 5pm and the deadline for young driver safety is Friday, March 16 at 5pm.
Full details about the schemes are available on https://www.westmercia-pcc.gov.uk/about-your-pcc/pcc-grants-scheme/.
